As Australia’s new under-16 social media ban begins this week, activist Chanel Contos is urging the federal government to take the next major step in safeguarding children by requiring tech companies to adopt an opt-in system for algorithmic content, according to The Advertiser.
The Teach Us Consent chief executive says this shift would “keep the momentum going” following the world-first policy that comes into force on December 10. Ms Contos is leading the Fix Our Feeds campaign, which pushes for platforms to disable default algorithmic recommendations and allow users to activate them only if they choose. While the European Union permits users to opt out, no country currently mandates a full opt-in model.
“The idea of Fix Our Feeds is to bring informed and affirmative consent to our screens,” said Ms Contos, whose advocacy led to mandatory consent education being introduced nationwide in 2023.
She argues that having the choice to “turn our algorithms on and off whenever we want” would support young people transitioning onto social media after turning 16, allowing their early online experiences to centre on connecting with friends rather than being pushed algorithmic content. “It would mean that the first thing they do on social media is go and find their friends … and that’s what was most fun about social media.”
The campaign is also responding to the sharp rise in misogynistic and violent material being served to boys and young men. “As quickly as under 23 minutes of sign up, they’ll be sent to this sort of content,” Ms Contos said. She notes this trend correlates with increasing rates of sexual violence among teenage boys.
Algorithms can also steer young women into harmful body-image content. “All you need to do is watch one video of ‘this is what I ate in a day’ and that … can take you down a really bad pipeline,” she said.
An open letter supporting Fix Our Feeds has gathered 5000 signatures, including prominent public figures and safety advocates.
Source: The Advertiser
